Patna Junction area to get a facelift soon

PATNA: Patna Smart City Limited (PSCL) has started working on an ambitious project to redevelop Patna Junction area – from General Post Office roundabout to Mahavir Mandir roundabout. The stretch covers New Market and Bakri Bazaar.
Under the Railway Station Area Redevelopment project, three new complexes – hawker complex, modern municipal complex, smart city complex – and a multi-modal transit hub will come up on 16 acres of land along Station Road.

A senior Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) official said the civic body has started the drive to remove encroachments from the earmarked land and the construction work would begin in a fortnight.
According to a PSCL official, the construction work has been awarded to Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam Limited, a UP government undertaking.
“The firm has already set up its site office at the old office of PMC on Budh Marg. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 211 crore and the deadline for its completion is October 2020,” PSPCL public relation officer Harshita told this newspaper on Monday.
“The ground floor of hawker complex will accommodate all street vendors currently operating between GPO roundabout and Chiraiyatand Pul, making the area a hawker-free zone. The PMC has asked the hawkers to vacate the area immediately. The hawkers have also agreed to do so. The construction work will begin soon after completion of anti-encroachment drive,” Harshita added.
The G+2 modern municipal complex will be used for sale of fruits, vegetables and meat. It will accommodate more than 200 vendors.
The multistorey smart city complex, on the other hand, will house all the licenced shops running from New Market area.
Harshita said the air-conditioned G+4 building would accommodate 700 shops. “It will be developed as a small shopping complex. The sweet shops and flower shops near Mahavir Mandir will remain intact,” she added.
Harshita said proper disposal of solid waste, maintenance of sewage networks and other civic services would be given priority to maintain hygiene in the area. “The surroundings will be covered with greenery and a small garden will also come up in the vicinity where people can sit,” she added.
In a bid to improve traffic movement near Patna Junction, a multi-modal transit hub will come up where different kinds of vehicles can be parked. “The idea is to ensure seamless movement of vehicles,” Harshita said.
The 107-year-old Gole Market, the first municipal market designed by Joseph Fearis Munnings, is also being dismantled for implementation of the project.
PMC commissioner Anupam Kumar Suman said the construction materials of Gole Market would be preserved. “Though some people say the Gole Market is a heritage structure, the reality is that it has no cultural significance apart from the fact that it’s an old structure designed by Munnings, a famous architect. It is not possible to preserve the entire structure. However, the construction materials will be preserved,” Suman added.